Boeing's Starliner launch pushed back to May 25 for first crewed mission

By James Rogers

The historic first manned launch of the spacecraft has been hindered by delays

The historic first crewed launch of Boeing Co.'s Starliner spacecraft will now take place no earlier than May 25, after the initial launch attempt was scrubbed earlier this month.

"Teams will use the additional time to finalize next steps that address a stable helium leak on the #Starliner service module," wrote NASA's Commercial Crew Program on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

The leak has been traced to a flange on a single reaction-control-system thruster, NASA said in a blog post. "Pressure testing performed on May 15 on the spacecraft's helium system showed the leak in the flange is stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight," the agency said. "The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module."

Boeing (BA) teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight, NASA added.

Related: First crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner scrubbed 2 hours before takeoff

The first launch attempt on May 6 was scrubbed two hours before it was scheduled for liftoff due to concerns over an oxygen-release valve on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will transport Starliner into low-Earth orbit, and was initially pushed back to no earlier than May 10. The launch was then targeted for May 17 to enable a valve replacement, before being pushed back again to May 21 to allow for additional testing.

The first crewed Starliner mission has faced a number of delays in recent years, so the launch will mark an important milestone for NASA, Boeing and their partners. The launch is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which partners with the private space industry in the U.S. to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with the test flight transporting NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS.

Related: Boeing's Starliner launch pushed back to May 17 for first crewed mission

In 2019, an uncrewed Starliner made its first test flight to the ISS, but docking with the space station was canceled because of an incorrectly set clock on the capsule. The second uncrewed test flight, Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2, successfully reached the orbiting space lab and returned to Earth in 2022.

During the Starliner test flight, mission commander Wilmore and pilot Williams will work with Boeing to test the "end-to-end capabilities" of Starliner, from prelaunch to docking at the ISS and from undocking to landing and recovery, according to Boeing. "Following a successful test, NASA will work to complete certification of the Starliner spacecraft and systems for regular crew-rotation missions to the space station," Boeing said on its website.

The Starliner capsule has been designed to accommodate seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, for missions to low-Earth orbit, according to Boeing. In NASA's missions to the ISS, the spacecraft will carry up to four NASA-sponsored crew members and scientific research, per Boeing's website. The capsule has a weldless structure and is reusable up to 10 times with a six-month turnaround, Boeing noted.

United Launch Alliance, or ULA, was set up as a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) in 2006. Since then, the company's Delta and Atlas rockets have been used to send more than 150 missions into orbit.

Related: Boeing's Starliner set for historic launch that will take two NASA astronauts into space

Boeing shares ended Friday's session up 1.1%. Lockheed Martin shares were up 0.3%.

-James Rogers

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05-18-24 0518ET

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